


Not all heros

by TheArtificialDane



Series: The Brightest Timeline [25]
Category: RuPaul's Drag Race RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:42:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22187272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheArtificialDane/pseuds/TheArtificialDane
Summary: The drag room is utter chaos, and neither Brooke nor Vanjie can deal.
Relationships: Brooke Lynn Hytes/Vanessa Vanjie Mateo
Series: The Brightest Timeline [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1400260
Comments: 10
Kudos: 53





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Did I write this as an excuse for third person Branjie? Yes. Yes I did.

Courtney groaned as she attempted to lug her suitcase through LAX. It was seriously heavy, Courtney actually emptying out her apartment from all the little bits and bobs Brooke had forgotten in tote bags, suitcases and pockets, makeup, jewelry, costume bits and even socks collecting at her place from various travels together. 

“Court!” Courtney heard a yell, and she turned around, to see Brooke who was standing there, the man waving, a big smile on his face. “Over here!”

Brooke was wearing grey sweats and a black hoodie, a cap on his face, car keys dangling from the hand he was waving with, and Courtney smiled, rushing over to hug her friend tight.

Brooke had called her out of the blue, which wasn’t unusual for them, Brooke always contacting her at the strangest hours of the day and very rarely with an actual topic in mind, but this time Courtney had sensed that there was something wrong right away. 

Brooke had been weirdly quiet, barely saying a word, so Courtney talked, filling out the silence, until Brooke had finally shared with her that he was having really bad anxiety, and that he just needed to hear her voice.

Courtney had never imagined that she’d be able to play that role in Brooke’s life, that she was someone he’d go to when he was upset or worried, but she was incredibly grateful that it had happened, supporting Brooke and being his friend one of the things she was proudest of. 

Courtney hadn’t dared ask why Brooke was anxious, but as they continued to talk, it turned out that Brooke and Vanjie had gotten in a fight over the drag room, Vanjie unable to find one of his dresses that he needed for a gig, since Brooke’s things were still either unpacked in boxes, barely stuffed in suitcases, or simply laying in a big mess where Brooke just dug out exactly what he needed. 

It had gotten so bad that Vanjie had grabbed a roll of duct tape, making a line down the middle of the room, throwing all of Brooke’s things against one wall, emptying everything out of what Vanjie had now claimed as his side, the whole thing escalating until Vanjie had left for Silky’s, slamming the door behind him, the fight only ending when Vanjie had crawled into bed that night and kissed Brooke’s shoulder in apology, Brooke rolling over and saying sorry too.

Brock wasn’t an overly very messy person. Brooke however, had a tendency to explode everywhere, no matter how much Brock tried to keep it under control. 

They had talked back and forth, Brooke embarrassed and frustrated, the fight seeming so petty and unnecessary, Vanjie so neat in everything he did that Brooke felt like a failure before even starting and he had no idea how to make it better, the task of actually fixing his wardrobe feeling like an unbearable and undoable task.

Courtney had joked that if only she could fix it, Brooke going quiet for a moment, before asking her if she was actually serious, and here they were, Brooke booking her a flight before he had even hung up, and now, Courtney was apparently organising an entire drag room.

“There.”

Brooke shut the trunk, Courtney not even getting the chance to protest before Brooke had grabbed her suitcase and carried it out of the airport.

“I’m so happy you’re here.” Brooke smiled, pulling Courtney in for yet another hug, kissing her hair. He always did that, no matter how many times Courtney had told him she didn’t like it, the act weirdly intimate when they had first gotten to know each other, but now, Courtney had accepted it, the total lack of boundaries simply a part of Brooke.

///

“I’ve never seen you drive before.” Courtney smirked, her tone teasing as Brooke took a right turn out of the airport. They had always taking Ubers or taxis together everywhere, seeing Brooke behind the wheel an almost surreal experience.

“You don’t have to sound so surprised.” Brooke looked over, an eyebrow raised. “I did pass my drivers test after all.”

“You know what I mean.” Courtney chuckled, leaning back in her seat. She had seen Silky post about getting the car, had seen what felt like a million pics in it with both Brooke and Vanjie from Vanjie’s stories. “It’s just… New.” 

“I didn’t see it coming either.” Brooke chuckled.

Courtney had never imagined that Silky and Brooke would be able to share everything, but Brooke was motivated by the fact that Silky took care of all the technical stuff, and Silky was very greatly motivated by the fact that Brooke paid half of the expenses, so it all worked out. 

“Jose still Ubers everywhere because he hates driving-“ 

Courtney snorted. She could clearly remembered the videos after Brooke had gotten his wisdom teeth removed and how tense Vanjie had been behind the wheel, though she guessed that she’d feel the same way trying to keep track of a doped up Brooke.

“-but it’s nice to have the choice.”

///

Courtney couldn’t believe she was standing in Brooke’s actual apartment. 

Brooke had unlocked the door, Riley coming running the second he heard the key, the little dog yapping excitedly over seeing one of his humans. 

“Hey boy!” Brooke picked Riley up, ruffling his fur. He hadn’t even taken his shoes off, had just dumped Courtneys suitcase that he had insisted on carrying by the door the moment Riley had come running.

“You wanna say hi? You wanna say hi?” Brooke twisted, holding the dog towards her. 

“Hi Riley.” Courtney smiled, holding her hand up so Riley could smell it, the little dog instantly licking it. “You’re even cuter in real life.”

“Don’t let Jose hear you say that.” Brooke laughed. “He’s going to explode with pride.”

“I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

Brooke put Riley down, grabbing a leash from a hook behind the door. “I’m just going to take him for a walk.”

“Do you want me to com-”

“No no, we’re just going around the corner.” Brooke smiled, clicking Riley in, the dog clearly knowing exactly what was happening. “Make yourself at home.”

And then, Brooke had walked out, leaving her all alone in a home she had never been in before.

It was so perdictibally him, and it was equal parts endearing and annoying. She knew that he left her because he trusted her, but that didn’t make it any less awkward. Courtney bend down to undo her galaxy sneaker, when she caught a look of the wall in the hall that she hadn’t noticed yet, and that she hadn’t seen anywhere on social media. 

It wasn’t filled out yet, but there were already several frames filled with pictures. Courtney stood up, looking at them. There were pictures from every part of Brooke and Vanjie’s relationship so far, Courtney even recognizing some of her own pictures, and it was so lovingly crafted, Vanjie’s attention to details and care spread out everywhere. 

Courtney grabbed her phone and snapped a quick picture of a selfie Brooke and Vanjie at a cafe, Vanjie holding his arm up to get the right ankle, matching smiles on their faces both of their heads bald, and Courtney loved it.

Courtney put her shoes by the door, waiting for a beat, hoping that Brooke would be back already, but she wasn’t so lucky, a feeling of unease settling over her as she had no idea what to do with herself. 

Courtney knew that Brooke had just told her to go in and do what they’d normally do, the two of them easily sharing a hotel space, a suitcase or a car, but this was different.

This was Vanjie’s space too, his home, and Courtney didn’t want to overstep in something that wasn’t only Brooke’s domain.

Courtney was starting to freak out a little when she heard a purr, a giant cat coming out of a room, Courtney instantly recognising Henry, and she crouched down, happiness filling her up.

///

“Yo! Any bitches up in here?”

Courtney snorted into her wine, Vanjie’s characteristic voice hollering through the apartment. 

Brooke had come back from the walk, a loud happy laugh leaving him when he had seen that Courtney hadn’t even left the hallway, Henry snuggled up on her lap, the cat adoring the attention she had showered him in.

“We’re in the kitchen!” Brooke yelled back, the man standing by the stove, finishing off dinner.

Brooke had taken her directly to the kitchen, the red color of it surprising her, but Brooke had only smiled, shrugged and said ‘Jose’ when Courtney had asked about the choice. He had poured her a glass of wine, grabbing a beer for himself before putting music on a little portable speaker in the window.

Courtney had almost laughed at how domnistic it all was, Brooke fitting surprisingly well into the role of someone who had pulled organic ingredients for veggie burgers out of the fridge.

“Hi Courtney.” 

“Hey!” Courtney smiled, Vanjie standing in the door, his charm radiating through the room. He was wearing moss green pants, and a black t-shirt, a Sephora bag in his hand.

“Y’all got snacks in the house?”

“Can’t you wait?” Brooke was chopping up the salad, not even looking over at them. “Dinner is almost done.”

“I ain’t talking ‘bout no food hot stuff.” Vanjie smirked, clearly more than pleased when Brooke groaned deeply, and Courtney laughed, Vanjie’s obvious delight infectious. “You got some sugar for me?”

Brooke smiled, putting his knife down and turning around, quickly wiping his hands on a teatowel. “Come here.”

Vanjie walked into Brooke’s arms, getting on his toes to give Brooke a kiss, and Courtney had to bite her lip not to awh, the two of them always stupidly cute when they were together, though she was sure that Brooke would hate it if she said it out loud. 

“Court, I’ma tell you.” Vanjie smirked, plucking a cucumber from Brooke’s cutting board and popping it in his mouth. “There ain’t nothing better than coming home to a man who don’t need no Uber eats.”

“I can imagine.” Courtney took a drink from her wine. 

“Do you want something to drink?” Brooke nodded towards the fridge, but Vanjie just shook his head.

“Nah.” Vanjie shrugged, and Brooke released him.

“What did you get from Sepphora?” Courtney loved drag makeup, and she l-o-v-e-d rifling through her friends bags, seeing what products they had bought.

“Hon!” Vanjie smiled. “I got everything. You know I had to support my girl RhiRhi when she dropping those collections.”

“Uh! Let me see-” Courtney made grabby hands for the bag, and Vanjie laughed.

“You know you don’t gotta ask me twice.” Vanjie smiled and turned the bag upside down, a near avalanche of makeup spilling out on the table. 

“Wow!” Courtney rifled through the products, her and Vanjie happily discussing all of them. It was one of Courtney’s favorite subjects to talk about with Vanjie, since his past at Mac always came up in him, his knowledge on makeup so much bigger than Courtney figured most people assumed. 

“Wait- Why do you have three of these?” Courtney held up a Fenty lipstick, all three in the exact same shade of pink, which was also a color Courtney had never seen Vanjie wear before.

“Got those for the boo!” Vanjie smiled.

“Got what for me?”

Courtney snickered, the fact that Brooke actually responded to boo something she couldn’t wait to tease him with later. “I figured, but why do you have three?”

“You seen my mans lips?” Vanjie preened, clearly thrilled. “Those babies need the good products, and plenty of it to boot.”

Brooke had walked over, reaching for Courtneys hand as he took one of the lipsticks. “Is this a new shade?”

“You betcha.” Vanjie smiled. “They’re gonna look fierce as fuck on you.”

Brooke blushed slightly, and Courtney had to bite her lip again not to react, embarrassed but happy Brooke one of her favorites. 

“How much do I owe you?” Brooke reached for his phone in his pocket, but Vanjie slapped his hand away.

“Nu uh!” Vanjie huffed. “Boyfriends don’t work like that. They a gift, so you better enjoy them.”

Brooke laughed. “Thank you baby.” He leaned down, giving Vanjie a sweet, quick, closed mouth peck and Courtney realised that this was the most and the closest she ever seen them kiss, a certain softness over the two men here in the privacy of their own home that she couldn’t remember having ever seen before.

///

“This tastes so good!”

Courtney had to agree with Vanjie, the veggie burgers that Brooke had whipped up super delicious.

“Thank the grocery store.” Brooke smirked, though it was clear that he enjoyed the praise from Vanjie. 

“Maybe they got the ingredients, but you made these bitches, and they delish as fuck.”

Brooke and Vanjiie were sitting on the outer side of the table, their chairs stupidly close together, while Courtney placed on the bench that Vanjie had proudly told her he had found inspiration for in a magazine. 

“It’s really nice.” Courtney smiled, the bottle of ketchup kept far away from her, though Vanjie happily dipped his fries. She took another bite, her burger almost done.

“So, he showed you the drag room yet?”

Courtney was sure she wouldn’t have felt the sharp shift in the mood, if she hadn’t known Brooke as well as she did, but the minute Vanjie said drag room, Booke had clamped right up.

“No.”

Brooke’s answer was short and sharp, but instead of getting mad, Vanjie simply reached under the table, Courtney sure he was touching Brooke’s leg by the sag of his shoulders, a little bit of the tension disappearing from Brooke’s brow.

“I haven’t even seen where I’m supposed to sleep yet.” Courtney joked, hoping to lighten the mood, though it had the exact opposite effect, Vanjie sighing deeply.

“There a reason for that one cutie.”

///

Brooke had told her it wasn’t pretty, but she had no idea it would be this bad.

Courtney had nearly dropped her suitcase, when Brooke had opened the door to the drag room. The room was painted in a beautiful pale yellow, and it was more than clear that there had been high expectations of shared spaced once upon a time. 

Those dreams however, had very clearly died.

“Shit…”

“Shit indeed.” Brooke bit his lip. “We had the fight, I told Jose you were coming, and then we…” Brooke sighed, crossing his arms. “We haven’t actually talked about it since then. He had the booking in Vegas, I went to Minnesato, and well-“ Brooke chewed his lip, saying the words clearly painful for him. “Here we are.”

“I can see that.”

The first thing that Courtney focused on was the fact that there were several pieces of furniture that were still in it’s boxes. Nothing unpacked at all, though she recognised several suitcases that lined each wall, Brock and Jose apparently only grabbing exactly what they needed before getting out again, nothing put in any kind of order.

A small part of Courtney had assumed that Brooke had been joking about the duct tape, but it was actually right there, a silver stripe down the center of the room.

“Seems like we have our work cut out for us, huh?” Courtney looked up at Brooke.

“I just want Jose to…. You know, feel okay.” Brooke smiled, weirdly shy about the desire, “though it’d be real nice if we could find my wigs by vanity too.”

///

Courtney heard a knock, and she looked up to see Vanjie standing in the door of the bathroom, leaning against the frame.

“Hey.”

Courtney was taking her makeup off, her hair in a headband as she was washing her face. 

“Hey.” Courtney grabbed a towel, quickly drying herself off. She loved the bathroom, everything kept in shades of blue, an intense attention to detail to every little part that was finished in there, Vanjie’s loving stamp all over everything. “Do you need the bathroom?”

“Nah.” Vanjie shrugged, shoving his hands into the pockets of the hoodie he had put on after dinner, the thing so big it had to be Brooke’s. 

“Brock went to the gym-“ Vanjie smiled, and Courtney did too, Brooke a whole lot more pleasant to be around if he was on a consistent workout schedule, the endorphins everyone always raved about actually working on Brooke.

“I just wanted to… You know-“ Vanjie paused. 

“Yes?”

“Fuck I suck at this.” Vanjie groaned, pushing himself away from the door. “You talked to my man yet or not?”

“About what?” Courtney didn’t want to break Brooke’s trust, but Vanjie looked genuinely worried.

“The whole room thing.” Vanjie looked at Courtney, his eyes filled with a certain sadness. “I didn’t mean to lose my shit, it just- he so fucking messy.”

Courtney snorted, Vanjie’s judgement more than fair.

“And you know I love the bitch!” Vanjie held his hands up inside the hoodie, the fabric following along like a little tent, “but when I try to talk about it, apologeize or suggest some shit, cause you know we can’t exactly live in a postapopocalyptica drag wasteland, he shuts the fuck down and get all weird.” Vanjie sighed. “I got my ADHD-“

“It’s been noticed.” Courtney smiled

“Fuck you.”

Courtney snorted, a quick moment of genuine friendship flaring between them before the mood turned serious again.

“But I ain’t got no clue how to deal when he gets all… anxious and shit over stuff that don’t even matter.” Vanjie kicked the ground, though there was nothing on it. “I want him over any dumbass drag room any day, and I think he gets that-“

Courtney nodded, Vanjie’s love for Brooke one of the few things he never doubted, no matter how many tricks his brain tried to play on him. 

“I just wanna help.”

“We’ll figure it out.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Holy shit-” Courtney chuckled to herself as she opened yet another plastic bin, the thing overflowing with wigs.

Courtney had spent the night in the guest bedroom, and she had nearly laughed herself silly when she had opened the rooms wardrobe to put away her things, the task impossible since Vanjie was clearly using it as a hiding place for his online shopping.

The guest room was painted a deep green, a double bed taking up the center of it, blackout curtains installed to keep the sun out, Vanjie touch all over it.

Courtney had tried to mention the closet over their afternoon tea, Vanjie acting oddly smug over the Canada mug he used for his hot cocoa, but as Courtney had opened her mouth to share her finding, Vanjie had waved his arms like mad behind Brooke’s back, his eyes wild and Courtney had figured it was best to keep quiet. 

Courtney never slept well when she spent the night in a new place, so she had woken before anyone else in the house, the apartment dead silent as she had made her way to the bathroom.

She had intended to go right back to bed - to wait for Brooke or Vanjie to rise, but as she walked through the drag closet to get to her room, she had gotten completely distracted by a pile of wigs that Brooke had simply thrown in the corner inside their plastic protectors.

Brooke generally took good care of his things, but it was so typical of him to just put everything in a giant pile, so Courtney had crouched down, quickly organising everything in the way she knew Brooke liked it best, the wigs sorted by color, style and material. 

Courtney looked around the room, trying to see if she could find anything she could store the wigs in, but Vanjie had very clearly grabbed most of the stuff for his side of the room, and if Courtney knew the two of them well enough, Vanjie had probably bought it too, so it was only fair.

Courtney had grabbed a piece of paper. There were enough shelves to line the entire room on both sides, but it was more than clear that Brooke was going to need extra storage, if he wanted his wardrobe to actually function.

Courtney was laying on her stomach in the middle of the room, sketching out a storage plan, when she heard a noise.

At first, she had just assumed it was one of the cats or that Riley had woken up, but the noises continued, growing in volume and frequencies, a strange creek joining in, and then, she heard a moan.

Brooke and Vanjie were fucking just down the hall.

There was no doubt about it, the rhythmic noise now registering to her ears as a bed that was moving, another moan sounding through the apartment before it was cut off, Brooke probably slapping a hand over Vanjie’s mouth in a vain attempt not to wake her up, neither of them knowing that she was already wide awake.

Courtney swallowed a laugh, doing her very best not to let them know that she could hear everything, biting her tongue while she continued drawing the new drag room, doing her very best not to ruin the mood for her boys.

///

“An iced coffee for my man-” Brooke smirked, handing Vanjie a giant Starbucks cup, 

“Thanks stud.” Vanjie smiled, and Brooke gave him a brief peck, humming into the kiss before he broke away.

“-and a latte for my girl.” 

“Thanks-” Courtney took the cup, Brooke settling down next to her at the little cafe table, Vanjie grabbing the paper bag from his hand and tearing it open, their breakfast options revealing themselves.

“You a yoghurt or a croissant kinda girl Courtny?” Vanjie held both things up, offering them to their guest.

“Croissant, always and forever.” Courtney smiled. “I know Brooke and his yoghurt.”

Vanjie laughed, “Ain’t that right.”

They quickly divided the morning meal between them, Riley laying under Vanjie’s chair.

Brooke would never admit it, but it was nice to have a morning ritual, Vanjie making domesticity the easiest choice in the world. 

It had become a routine for him and Vanjie to take Riley for a morning walk to the nearest coffee shop when they were both home, Riley already so used to it that he knew the walk was coming, his little tail wagging with excitement from the moment both of them got out of bed.

Brooke had woken up with Vanjie’s hair in his nose, the morning shuffle of attempting to get out of his boyfriends octopus hold - an act that was never appreciated, Vanjie always grumbling and groaning in his sleep whenever Brooke tried to get out of bed.

This morning however, Vanjie had woken up at Brooke’s first attempt to get out, and it had turned to morning sex, Vanjie grabbing him and refused to let him leave since he wasn’t done sleeping, their wrestling match ending with Brooke fucking Vanjie’s thighs, his boyfriend coming with a whimper as Brooke bit his shoulder. 

“Mmmh-” Vanjie moaned as he took a second bite of his croissant. “Bitch I know this is just Starbucks, but they make those pasteries fucking right-”

Brooke was just about to reply, when he saw Courtney’s face, a bright red blush in her cheeks, her eyes glued to the table, stirring her coffee suspiciously interesting.

“Are you okay?”

“Wha-?” Courtney looked up. “Yes! Yes, sorry-” Courtney laughed, her tone awkward, and Brooke had no idea why. 

Courtney was normally never one who acted shy about anything, his friend practically fearless, but as her eyes darted to Vanjie, his boyfriend still happily occupied with eating his breakfast, little sounds of pleasure leaving him, Brooke put two and two together.

“Wait-” Brooke’s eyes widened. He leaned in, whispering in Courtney’s ear since he didn’t want Vanjie to hear. “Did you hear- This morning?”

“No!” Courtney held up her hands. “No, or maybe, I mean- I-”

Brooke had tried to keep quiet, but it looked like he had done a terrible job, Courtney absolutely hearing them fucking.

Their eyes met, the two friends looking at each other, and they broke into laughter.

///

“So what you got?” Vanjie wiggled his brows as he dumped down on the couch, his cup of iced coffee still in his hand. 

They had walked back from Starbucks, all three of them settling down in the living room, Henry jumping down from the giant cat tree in the corner to curl up in Brooke’s lap as soon as his human touched the couch.

Courtney loved the living room, and it was probably her favorite room in the apartment. The walls were painted a light dove grey, the big windows letting lots of light into the room. 

The far wall was taken up by several bookcases, Vanjie somehow managing to make Brooke’s utter mess of a book collection look like something that had actually been selected and not just randomly picked up like Courtney knew they were. 

The couch was a stunning deep blue, the velour not the choice she would have made herself, but it made sense, the coffee table a deep oak, all of it the perfect blend of masculin, functional and modern, a touch of femininity still in the room that she was sure came from Vanjie. 

Courtney reached into her pocket, getting her drawing from earlier out.

“It’s just a suggestion,” Courtney shrugged, “since I’m not actually an interior designer.”

“You good,” Vanjie smirked, “not that any shit ain’t better than what we already have.”

Courtney felt Brooke freeze next to her, his shoulders tensing, his hand in Henry’s fur coming to a halt.

“It’s not that bad,” Courtney smiled, attempting to defuse the situation.

“Nah, we real fucked up,” Vanjie smirked, his charm dialed all the way up, “you seen the state of that room-”

Courtney did the only thing she could think of, which was kicking Vanjie’s shin with her foot.

“Ow!” Vanjie reached down, his mouth hanging open, the man very clearly not used to getting hurt. “Why you stepping on me-” 

Courtney tilted her head, Vanjie focusing in on Brooke, and she saw the moment he realised what he had actually said.

“Shit-” Vanjie reached over Courtney’s lap, gently touching Brooke’s knee, and Courtney felt Brooke’s impulse to pull away, but he stayed still. “You good Mami?”

“I’m fine-”

Courtney saw Brooke’s anxiety, and it was honestly a marvel how quickly he went directly into a defensive stance.

“Really?” Vanjie huffed, Brooke’s energy clearly rubbing Vanjie the exact wrong way. “Cause it sounds like you a fucking liar-”

“I’m not a liar,” Brooke huffed, “I just don’t like being made fun of-” 

Courtney knew how much Brooke hated to feel caught, hated feeling like someone was talking down to him, and it was no wonder to her that the argument had blown up as badly as it had.

“Bitch I’m only tryn’a help!” Vanjie snapped, his hand still clutching Brooke’s knee. “I ain’t making fun of you.

“Oh really?” Brooke’s head shot up, his eyes hurt and growing angry too, “because it feels that way.”

Courtney almost wished she was dead, Vanjie’s upper body pressing her against the sofa cushion, so she couldn’t even sit up or walk away. 

“Fuck yo-” 

“Boys!” Courtney shoved at Vanjie, the man instantly pulling back when he realised that he was actually holding her captive. “boys, boys!” Courtney put her hands on both of their shoulders, squeezing them tight. “You both need to calm down.”

“I don’t need to calm for shit-”

“He’s the one who started-”

“Both of you!” Courtney could feel a migraine built, and even though she loved both men, they were acting like absolute idiots. “Shut up.”

Vanjie huffed, crossing his arms and falling back into the couch cushion while Brooke snorted, falling back as well.

“We’re adults, we don’t need-”

“Brock, be quiet for a minute.” Courtney looked at her friend, gently touching his arm, anchoring him down. “Brock, do you think Jose loves you?”

“I know he does-” Brooke looked straight ahead, but she could sense that he was listening.

“Do you genuinely think he’s making fun of you, or that he’s trying to hurt you on purpose?”

“No.” Brooke bit his lip.

“Jose-” Courtney refocused her attention on Vanjie. “What’s most important to you? Do you want the apartment, or do you want Brock?”

“Brock.” Vanjie answered instantly, not even taking a second to think it through.

Courtney released a breath of relief, the conversation thankfully going her way.

“So how about you both apologise, stop acting like toddlers and realise that neither of you want this to turn into another DXP?”

Brooke looked like he had been hit, Courtney’s words clearly shaking him to the core, and Vanjie didn’t look much better.

“Fuck…” Brooke sat up. “I’m…” Brooke ran a hand through his hair. The DXP fight had been bad. Really really bad, worse than Nashville, and Courtney knew she had hit it right, Brooke never wanting another argument like that again. 

“I’m sorry-“ Brooke took a deep breath, “It’s not fair I act this way-”

“‘M sorry too. It ain’t fair I act like this either. I don’t mean to make you feel bad.” Vanjie sighed, “I love your dumb ass.”

Courtney was just about to tell Vanjie to watch his language, but then, Brooke snorted, his face breaking into a smile, all tension disappearing from his body, and Courtney realised that Vanjie had somehow done the exact right thing for Brooke, even if it seemed completely unlikely that it would work.

“I love you too-” Brooke leaned over Courtney, giving Vanjie a brief kiss, Vanjie smiling into it. “You little shit.”

///

“So this is what you want to do?”

Brooke looked at Courtney’s drawing, Vanjie cuddled under his arm. Courtney had refused to sit between them anymore, and Brooke couldn’t really blame her. Courtney’s knees were drawn up, and she was leaning against the back of the couch, Henry quickly snuggling up in her lap.

“If you like it?” 

Brooke nodded, Courtney knowing him almost scarily well. The closet looked perfect, his friend taking everything into account, right down to the way Brooke liked his shoes organised. 

“It’s perfect.” Brooke smiled, and Courtney responded, happiness radiating from her at the praise. “Very effective.” 

“If you ever get tired of writing your little pieces-” Vanjie snuggled even closer to Brooke, his boyfriend always searching for physical contact after a fight to an almost comical level, but it was nice to have the confirmation, nice to feel Vanjie so alive against his side. “You got a real nice hustle drag room designing for messy ass queens.”

“Thanks.” Courtney laughed, and Brooke kissed Vanjie’s hair. 

“So, since it seems like you like it,” Courtney petted Henry. “we should go get storage.”

“Uh!” Vanjie smiled brightly. “Yes please.”

Brooke groaned, the idea of a trip to Target or the container store really not his version of a fun time.

“Do we have to?”

Courtney raised an eyebrow, a small smile playing on her lips. “Yes?”

“Please?” Brooke knew he didn’t actually have a case, but he had only just gotten over the hours and hours he had spent prowling through endless stores with Vanjie while looking for furniture. 

“Brock.” Courtney’s tone was exactly like the one she used when he forgot to drink water while out on a booking, her voice telling Brooke that he was toeing a line, and he sighed, a groan leaving him. 

“Fine.” 

“Thank you.” Courtney smiled, clearly happy with the fact that she got her way, and Brooke chuckled, pleasing Courtney something he always liked doing. “So when are we getting the car?”

“Okay, what the fuck-”

Both Courtney and Brooke turned, Vanjie looking at both of them, his eyes wide. “What kinda magic mumbo jumbo you using to get my man this soft? That shit wasn’t even no argument”

“It’s called Canadian politeness.” Courtney smirked. “It’s a blessing and a curse.”

///

“We have to go this way-” Courtney pointed, and Vanjie followed behind, his fingers intertwined with Brooke’s, who was pushing their cart. 

Vanjie hadn't been asked to come along to Target, but there was no way he was missing out on the adventure. At least, that was the excuse he had given when Brooke had questioned why he was putting on his shoes to come along. 

In reality, Vanjie just didn’t want to be home alone, not when the energy between him and Brooke was still so fragile. 

Vanjie had ran into Brooke’s hatred of him being late more times than he could count, the issue turning into a fight more often than not, and while he got his boyfriends annoyance, he had never taken it all that serious, but as they lived together, Vanjie started to understand him more and more. 

Vanjie had never been the one who had his buttons pushed so severely over an issue in a relationship, and it had slowly started to make sense to him. Vanjie really tried to be cool when Brooke was messy, tried really hard not to get mad when their drag mixed, but it was impossible not to be annoyed, impossible to keep it down, and Vanjie hated feeling like that.

“Uh!” Vanjie saw a wicker basket on the shelf, reaching for it, not even realising that he was still holding Brooke’s hand, their linked fingers pulling him back. “Bitch!”

“Give it a second big guy.” Brooke chuckled, letting go of Vanjie’s hand. “There.”

“You seen this?” Vanjie picked the basket up, showing it to Brooke. “This some white lady shit.”

“Do you want it?” Brooke raised an eyebrow.

“You don’t think it’s nice?”

“It’s a wicker basket.” Brooke smiled. “It looks normal?”

“We getting it.” Vanjie put it the cart, which made Brooke laugh. 

“What?” Vanjie puffed his chest out. “What’s funny?”

“Remember when we walked in here?” Brooke was smirked. “And you said you didn’t need a cart?”

“What about it?” 

Brooke gestured to the cart, and Vanjie realised that it was a quarter filled with random tidbits for the apartment, all of it selected by him.

“Well..” Vanjie looked at it, his ADHD apparently going wild. “Shit.”

Brooke chuckled, leaning down to give Vanjie a peck, Vanjie smiling into it. 

///

_ @VanessaVanjie _

_ “Hey y’all.” Vanjie smiles. He’s filming his face, his hair perfectly styled. Vanjie is in a store, a grocery shopping isle behind him, plastic boxes on all sides, the signature Target red on the signs.  _

_ “If any of you ever wonder if I’m a good lil housewife,” Vanjie leans on his hand, his elbow propped up on something. “Check what I spend my tuesday on.” _

_ Vanjie flips the camera. Courtney is standing with her black glasses on, her pink hair in french braids, a lilac fur on and galaxy sneakers, a list in hand. _

_ “How many do we need?” Brooke is standing next to her. He’s in denim jeans and a creamy white sweater.  _

_ “Get four to start with.”  _

_ Brooke nods and grabs four plastic containers from the top shelf, and Vanjie hums to himself as a bit of Brooke’s stomach is shown.  _


End file.
